Stage curtain pulley mount construction



April 18, 1967 R w. JANsoN ET AL 3,314,470

STAGE CURTAIN PULLEY MOUNT CONSTRUCTION Filed July 13, 1964 www"mmm INVENTORS Rwlzguvl Weladzson am;

WI/L'or 0L S. Jzwan ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,314,470 STAGE CURTAIN PULLEY MUNT CGNSTRUCTION Richard W. Janson, 409 Meyerson Ave. SE. 44707, and

Wilford S. Janson, 1220 18th St. NW. Canton, Ohio Filed July 13, 1964, Ser. No. 382,156

4 Claims. (Cl. 160-344) This invention relates to stagecurtain assemblies of the type used in auditoriums, theaters or the like, and 1 These carriers 1n turn are movable on a curtain track.

The carriers are usually provided with hooks which engage the curtain at spaced intervals along the top of the curtain.

It is desirable that the curtains completely close in the middle. It is, there-fore, necessary for one portion of 2a the curtain to slightly overlap the other portion. To accomplish this it is standard practice to provide two track portions and to slightly offset one portion of the curtain track, and thus the curtain, from the other. The

first carrier for each side, known as the .master carrier,

is normally rigidly attached to a continuous cord or rope for moving the curtain from the opened to the closed position.

The usual curtain assembly also includes pulley members at each end of the curtain tracks. One end is provided with what is known in the art as a live and pulley assembly and the other end is provided with what is known in the art as a dead end pulley. To complete the structure, a third pulley member is provided at some point below the curtain assembly, usually on the oor of the stage, and normally located on the oor directly under the live end pulley.

Beginning from the floor pulley, the continuous cord will pass up and around one of the live end pulleys, along the track assembly to the dead end Ipulley, around the dead end pulley, and back to the other pulley of the live end pulley assembly, and down lto the oor pulley.

To provide a smooth operating system, the rope which carries and operates one side of the curtain must :be aligned with the curtain carriers hanging from the curtain tracks. Thus, it is desirable to place the respective pulleys so that the rope as it passes :over the pulley will be aligned with the carriers as they hang from the track.

We have discovered that it is possible to .provide a -onepiece pulley mounting member which may be fastened to a curtain track with the proper placement of the pulleys and the alignment of the rope being automatically provided -by the arrangement and construction of the pulley mounting bracket.

It is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to provide a pulley mounting unit which is constructed of a unitary piece of material.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a pulley mounting device which automatically positions the pulley with respect to the curtain track.

It is likewise an object of the present invention to provide a pulley mounting unit which may be attached to a curtain track by a single nut and bolt assembly.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pulley mount construction which does not have to be adjusted during installation to properly align the curtain track cord and the track carriers with the pulleys,

44703, both of 5 It is likewise another object of the present invention to provide a pulley 4mount construction which may -be attached to the curtain track at any position desired without having to slip the pulley mount over the end of the curtain track.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a pulley mount construction which may be moved from place to place along the curtain track if desired after the stage curtain system has Abeen installed.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pulley mount construction which incorporates the foregoing desiderata, which may be easily manu-factured and which satisfactorily solves the problems and avoids the difficulties that have existed in the art, and which obtains the foregoing advantages and results in an effective, simple and inexpensive manner.

These and :other objects and advantages apparent to those skilled in the art Ifrom the following description and claims may be obtained, the stated results achieved, the described difficulties overcome by the improvements, combinations, constructions and elements which comprise the present invention, the nature of which is set forth in the following general statement, preferred embodiments of which-illustrative of the best mode in which applicants have contemplated applying the principleis set forth in the following description and `drawings, and which is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims forming part hereof.

The nature of the discoveries and improvements of the present invention may be stated in general terms as including a pulley member mounted to a pulley box, the pulley box having a top surface, an upstanding flange yformed integrally with the pulley box top and adapted to be attached to a curtain track, the cross-sectional shape of the top adjacent the ange and the flange conforming to the cross-sectional shape of the curtain track to space the pulley with respect to the track, so that a rope passing around the pulley will lbe in proper alignment.

By way of example, the improved stage curtain pulley mount construction of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a typical stage lcurtain assembly showing the pulley mount construction of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of one end of the stage curtain track shown in FIG. 1 showing one form of the pulley mount of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 3 3, FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevation showing the other end of the stage curtain assembly shown in FIG. 1, showing another `form of pulley mount embodying the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional View taken along the lines 5 5, FIG. 4.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the various gures of the drawing.

Referring now specifically to FIG. l of the drawing, a typical stage curtain assembly including the present invention is illustrated and consists of a pair of curtain track members 1G and 11 which carry a plurality of curtain carriers 12. lEach of the curtain carriers 12 is movable along the track portions 10 and 11 and each has curtainengaging means 13 which support a pair of curtain p0rtions 14 and 15.

A master curtain carrier is secured to the leading edge of the curtain and engages each of the portions 14 and 15 at the point closest the center, and the master carriers are rigidly attached to a curtain rope or cord 16 which is operable to open and close the curtain.

The endless curtain cord 16 in the typical curtain assembly system extends from a oor pulley 17 up to one of a pair of live end pulleys 18, along the curtain track, through the curtain carriers 12 which support curtain portion 14 to the rigidly attached master curtain carrier, then to a dead end pulley 19, around the dead end pulley v 19, through the second set of curtain carriers 12 which support curtain portion 15, to the second rigidly attached master curtain carrier 12, back to the second of the pair of live end pulleys 18, and down to the iioor pulley 17.

The curtain cord when pulled serves to move the two rigidly attached master curtain carrier members in the opposite direction from one another and thus serves to move the curtain portions 14 and 15 between open and closed positions.

The curtain assembly when inthe closed position should extend completely across the stage opening Without having any gaps, and it is, therefore, standard procedure to overlap the two curtain portions. This overlapping is accomplished by offsetting the track portions and 11 at 11a as shown in FIG. 1.

Each of the pulleys comprising the live end and dead end pulley assemblies 18 and 19 must be aligned with the respective curtain carriers and the curtain track portion to provide a smooth-operating curtain assembly. The curtain cord 16 as it passes over one of the pair of live end pulleys 18 to the curtain carriers 12 must be in alignment with the track and carriers which operate that portion of the curtain 14. Likewise, the cord 16 as it passes around the dead end pulley 19 must ibe in alignment with carriers 12 and curtain track 10 which support Vcurtain 15.

In accordance with the Vpresent invention, the live end pulley assembly 18 and dead end pulley assembly 19 are mounted to curtain track portions 1G and 11 by completely integral pulley mounting members 2i) and 21.

One embodiment of the present invention, yas shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, includes curtain track portion 1t) which consists of an I-beam track portion 22 having a pair of horizontal flange members 23 and 24 and a vertical web member 25. rl`he curtain carrier members 12 are provided With -a pair'of rollers 26 which are movable along the top surface of beam member 23. As seen in FIG. 3, the cord or rope 16 as it passes around dead end pulley 19 must pass through the curtain carrier members 12 until it reaches the rigidly mounted master curtain carrier member to provide for smooth operation of the curtain system. Thus, the groove of pulley 179 must be in alignment with the vertical center line of the track and carrier members 12.

Pulley mounting member 21 includes a pulley box portion 27 on which pulley 19 is rotatably mounted, the dead end pulley 19 being disposed in a horizontal position. The box member 27 has a top portion 28 which has an in-V tegrally formed ange 29 extending upwardly therefrom. Flange 29 includes an inclined portion 30 and a vertical portion 31 which defines a surface that corresponds generally to the surface formed by one side of the top portion of flange 23 and vertical web 25.

The length of vertical portion 31 is approximately the same las the height of web member 25. Inclined portion extends from the top portion 2S to the vertical portion 31, a distance approximately equal to the Width of one side lof llange 23. In accordance with the present invention vertical portion 31 is aligned with the groove of the pulley so that when the assembly is attached to the track, the pulley groove will be aligned with the vertical center line of the track.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pulley mounting member 21 may be attached tio the track by a single nut and bolt :assembly 32 through a single hole drilled at the correct place in track 10. If it is desired for any reason to move the pulley mounting assembly, it is only necessary to remove the nut and bolt assembly 32 and drill another mounting hole in the web portion yof the track. It is not necessary Vto remove any of the supporting structure .by which the track. assembly lproper is mounted in the Ibuilding nor to slide the pulley mounting box off of the end of the track to remove the pulley mounting assembly.

A second embodiment of the pulley mounting device of the present invention -is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and is used to mount the pair of pulleys which form the live end pulley assembly. In this embodiment the pulley mounting assembly includes a body portion 33 having a vertically disposed pulley mounting ange 34 which has rotatably mounted thereon the pair of live end pulleys 18. A portion of the curtain rope 16 passes over one of the pulleys 18 and through carriers 12 to the second rigidly attached master curtain carrier, these carriers supporting curtain portion 14. As mentioned above, it is desirable that this portion of rope 16 be aligned with carriers 12 and thus the vertical center line of track 11.

In accordance, therefore, with the present invent-ion an integrally formed flange 35 projects upwardly from the body portion of pulley mounting member 20 and includes an inclined portion 36 and a vertical portion 37. As in the previous embodiment of the present invention, the surface formed by one side of the integral flange 3S conforms to the surface formed by the top of the horizontal track iiange 23 and one side ofthe vertical web V2.5.

In accordance with the present invention vertical portion 35 is aligned with the center line of one of pulleys 1S so that when the Ventire pulley mounting assembly 20 is mounted to the track the pulley will be aligned with the vertical center line of the track, thus the rope 16 as it passes around the pulley will be in alignment with carriers 12 which move along the track.

As in the above described embodiment, pulley mounting assembly 20' may be attached to lthe track 11 by a single nut and bolt assembly 32 and the assembly may be removed or moved if desired by merely removing the single nut bolt.l

Both of pulley assemblies 20 and 21 when mounted to either track portion 10 or 11 will be rigidly attached to the track even though each of the assemblies is attached to the track by only a single nut and bolt 32. The top edge flanges 29 and 3-7 abut the bottom of flanges 24, thus preventingthe pulley mounting assembly from rotating about the nut and bolt assembly 32.`

Likewise, the bottom of flange 23 abuts the top surface of top portion 28 and body portion 33; and when the nut and boltv assembly 32 is securely fastened the pulley assembly will not rock from side to side.

In both embodiments of the present invention, the upwardly projecting flange and thetOp surface of the body member dene two angularly arranged surfaces which are adapted to coact with two similarly angularlyV arranged surfaces on the curtain track. The flanges are positioned so that when the assembly is mounted to the track and when the angularly arranged surfaces abut and coact with one another, the pulleys will be aligned with the rope and curtain carriers, thus achieving the automatic placement features of the .present invention. Thus in FIG. 3 the two angularly disposed surfaces are lthe top surface of body 28 and the side surface of vertical flange portion 29 which coact with the similarly disposed surfaces on the track which are one surface of web 25 and the'bottom surface of ange 23.

We have found that both pulley assemblies 20 and 21 can be formed from extruded aluminum, thus making it posible to provide the unitary integral pulley mounting member and flange unit. Both pulley mounting units 20 and 21 incorporate one of the important aspects of the invention, that is, the provision of the integral upstanding flange which automatically spaces the mounting assemblies 20 and 21 with respect to the track when assembled.

Thus it can be seen that the pulley mounting construction of the present invention provides a single onepiece pulley mounting unit which may be attached to the curtain track during the erection of the curtain system Without requiring adjustment by the installer nor without the use of a multiplicity of pieces of material to correctly adjust the pulley with respect to the track.

Furthermore, the pulley moun-ting of the present invention provides a construction which may be removed from the track for any one of a number of reasons, including the installation of new rope, without having to remove the track or any of its supporting structure, nor without having to slide the pulley mounting unit over one end or the other of the track.

Important aspects, therefore, of the present invention reside in the provision of a one-piece pulley mounting member adapted to either incorporate a live end or dead end pulley which may be attached with a single fastening member; in the provision of an integral Iupstanding ange which automatically provides the correct positioning and spacing of the pulley when mounted on a curtain track; and which may be satisfactorily and economically manufactured through the use of a single aluminum extrusion.

In the foregoing description certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding, but nounnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and not for the purpose of limitation and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated and described herein are by way of example, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the Various parts or details of construction.

Having now described the invention or discovery, the construction and assembly of the preferred embodiment thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful improvements, construction and elements obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Pulley mount construction for movable stage curtains of the type in which a stage curtain is supported by a plurality of curtain carriers movable horizontally along a curtain track, and in which the carriers are aligned with and moved by curtain cord means located below and aligned with the track; the pulley mount including a body member, integral flange means projecting from the body member, track means having a generally vertical web, the track and web having first and second angularly arranged surfaces, the body and flange means having iirst and second angularly arranged surfaces engaging and coacting with said first and second track surfaces, the track web being located generally in a vertical plane, a curtain c-ord also located in said vertical plane, a pulley having a pulley groove, means mounting the pulley for rotation on the body member below the track, a portion of the pulley groove being located .by said coacting surfaces in said vertical plane and being aligned with the curtain cord, and means for rigidly attaching the flange means to the curtain track.

2. Pulley mount yconstruction for Imovable stage curtains as defined in claim 1 in which the lrotatably mounted pulley is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis.

3. Pulley mount construction for movable stage curtains as dened in claim 1 in which the rotatably mounted pulley is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis.

4. Pulley mount construction as dened in claim 1 in which said flange includes an inclined portion and a vertical portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,525,153 2/1925 Sarkisian 16C-344 X 2,597,758' 8/1926 Boye 160--344 1,649,371 11/1927 Stoer v 160-347 2,222,229 11/1940 Kahler 160-126 2,231,305 2/1941 Vallen 160-347 X FOREIGN PATENTS 237,046 7/ 1925 Great Britain.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. P. C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. PULLEY MOUNT CONSTRUCTION FOR MOVABLE STAGE CURTAINS OF THE TYPE IN WHICH A STAGE CURTAIN IS SUPPORTED BY A PLURALITY OF CURTAIN CARRIERS MOVABLE HORIZONTALLY ALONG A CURTAIN TRACK, AND IN WHICH THE CARRIERS ARE ALIGNED WITH AND MOVED BY CURTAIN CORD MEANS LOCATED BELOW AND ALIGNED WITH THE TRACK; THE PULLEY MOUNT INCLUDING A BODY MEMBER, INTEGRAL FLANGE MEANS PROJECTING FROM THE BODY MEMBER, TRACK MEANS HAVING A GENERALLY VERTICAL WEB, THE TRACK AND WEB HAVING FIRST AND SECOND ANGULARLY ARRANGED SURFACES, THE BODY AND FLANGE MEANS HAVING FIRST AND SECOND ANGULARLY ARRANGED SURFACES ENGAGING AND COACTING WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND TRACK SURFACES, THE TRACK WEB BEING LOCATED GENERALLY IN A VERTICAL PLANE, A CURTAIN CORD ALSO LOCATED IN SAID VERTICAL PLANE, A PULLEY HAVING A PULLEY GROOVE, MEANS MOUNTING THE PULLEY FOR ROTATION ON THE BODY MEMBER BELOW THE TRACK, A PORTION OF THE PULLEY GROOVE BEING LOCATED BY SAID COACTING SURFACES IN SAID VERTICAL PLANE AND BEING ALIGNED WITH THE CURTAIN CORD, AND MEANS FOR RIGIDLY ATTACHING THE FLANGE MEANS TO THE CURTAIN TRACK. 